Ulstein is upbeat about the future

The investments include competence building, an endowed professorship and various research and innovation projects, along with a new crane and a wider deepwater berth at Ulstein Verft.

“We are part of a Norwegian maritime cluster and consider it important to focus on R&D and develop expertise in this region. Consequently, we have chosen to finance a professorship at Ålesund University College for five years,” says Ulstein. “We collaborate with Molde University College, drawing on the expertise of its logistics professor in our development work. We have also hired in a doctoral research fellow to work on skills development and follow up R&D and innovation projects. Work methods that reduce costs at all levels, while enabling us to work more efficiently and handle larger volumes, help boost our competitive edge and make us more attractive to the customer.

“The customer is our focus, and it is important to provide profitable solutions for creating added value in the industry. All in all, we allocate approximately NOK 100 million annually to innovation and new development – this includes new types of vessels or solutions that help the customer increase his value, all the while reducing emissions and doing less harm to the environment,” Ulstein says.

The company reports that more than NOK 80 million has been invested in yard upgrades. “By using the downturn wisely, we’ll be well prepared for the next upswing,” concludes Ulstein.

The biggest single investment at Ulstein Verft (UVE) is a new crawler crane from Terex that can lift 600 tonnes, with a 96m long boom. “We can now provide more aftermarket services like lifting, replacing and assembling equipment such as cranes, towers and A-frames”, says Håkon Langeland, head of service and aftermarket at UVE.

“By moving the crane onto a barge, we can assist in a host of heavy-lifting operations at shipyards and other enterprises where crane capacity is essential. We can also carry out heavy lifting offshore,” he says.

A 122m deep water berth at the yard is also under construction. “The berth will be completed by autumn and is an important investment, as it will provide more space and better mobilisation of vessels and equipment,” says Langeland, and adds that a new 1,100m² piping shop will be built for manufacturing and assembling pipes into units, as well as two office wings for subcontractors, shipowners and the yard.